Wittman Heads To Landslide Win In Va.

GOP state Del. Rob Wittman has won a landslide victory over Iraq war veteran Phil Forgit (D) in today's Virginia special election to succeed the late Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-Va).

With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Wittman has won 63 percent of the vote, while Forgit has only tallied 36 percent.

Neither party’s congressional campaign committee spent much money in the district, but the NRCC had spent money to produce a campaign ad, which they never aired. Instead, all the attention has been in northwest Ohio, where a much-closer special election also took place today.

The district has been reliably Republican, giving President Bush 60 percent of the vote in 2004. But even conservative parts of the Old Dominion have trended in a Democratic direction recently, and Gov. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and former governor Mark Warner campaigned alongside Forgit over the last week.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader John Boehner said that, if Wittman was elected, he would work to secure him a spot on the coveted House Armed Services Committee.

UPDATE: NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) issued a statement congratulating Wittman on his victory.

“I would like to congratulate Congressman-elect Rob Wittman on his decisive victory today and welcome him to our Republican Conference," Cole said.

"Rob ran an excellent campaign and he will make a tremendous member of Congress. Rob ran a solid campaign on the issues important to Virginians such as lower taxes and fighting illegal immigration. Rob’s victory today is more evidence that Americans are ready for real change in Washington."